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All Graduate Theses and Dissertations Graduate Studies

5-1993

Adolescents' Attitudes and Perceptions Towards Their

Grandparents
Dennis P. Barrett
Utah State University

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 ADOLESCENTS' ATTITUDES AND PERCEPTIONS

TOWARDS THEIR GRANDPARENTS

by

Dennis P. Barrett
A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment
of the requireaents for the deqree
of
KASTER 0~ SCIBNCB

in
Paaily and Buaan Developaent
 ii

DEDICATION

This thesis is dedicated to Ellen Ann Barrett, my wife and

closest friend. I will be forever grateful to her for her

emotional support and the countless hours of typing and

retyping. I owe her many return favors.
 iii
CONTENTS

Page
DEDICATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ii

ABSTRACT . . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ·. . . . . . . . . . . . . iv
CHAPTER

1. INTRODUCTION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

2. REVIEW OF LITERATURE........................... 4

Grandparent/Grandchild Demography .... ...... .. .. 4

Grandparenthood Roles Defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
The Changing Grandparent/Grandchild Relationship 7
Grandparents' Attitudes About Grandparent Role .. 10
Grandchildren's Attitudes Towards Grandparents .. 12

3. METHODOLOGY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... .. ... . . 19

Research Design. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Sample .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

4. RESULTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Research Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

5. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Limitations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Recommendations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

REFERENCES .......... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

APPENDICES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
 iv
LIST OF TABLES

Table Page
1. Yo uths' Attitude Toward Maternal Grandmother
b y Variable Age of Youth.......... . ........... . 26

2. Youths' Relationship to Paternal Grandfather

by Gender of Youth.... . ............. . ......... 27

3. Youths' Relationship to Maternal Grandfather

by Gender of Youth..... . .............. . ... . .... 27

4. Youths' Attitude Towards Paternal Grandfather

by Variable Education Level of Paternal
Grandfather................................... . 29

5. Youths' Attitude Towards Paternal Grandparents

by Variable Education Level of Paternal
Grandfather................ . ........... . . . .. .. . 30

6. comparative Youth Attitude Towards Maternal

and Paternal Grandparents......... . ............ 31

7. Youths' Attitude Towards Maternal Grandfather

by Variable Health of Maternal Grandfather..... 33

8. Correlation Coeffidients Comparing Attitudes of

Youth Towards Grandparent and Spouse........... 36
 v
ABSTRACT

Adolescents' Attitudes and Perceptions

Toward Their Grandparents

by

Dennis P . Barrett, Master of Science

Utah State University, 1993

Major Professor: Dr. Glen 0. Jensen

Department: Family and Human Development

The purpose of this study was to determine the

attitudes of youth toward each of their individual

grandparents. The subjects were students ranging in age from

12-19 years with the majority being between 14-17 years of

age. These students were enrolled in a release time religious

class that allowed them one hour a day off campus to take a
seminary course.

The sample of data consisted of 148 girls and 108 boys,

which was approximately 25% of the high school population.

The youth were from a small northern Utah community. The

average age of the youth respondents was 16.2 years. This

group of youth came from intact families with 90.1% who lived

in a family where father and mother were together. The

questionnaire consisted of 35 questions of which 16 questions

were used to develop an attitude scale used to answer 10

resear c h questions.
 vi
Younger adolescents (age 12-14 years) had a better

attitude toward grandparents than older adolescents (age 17-19

years) .

Evidence supported previous literature that male youth

were emotionally closer than females to their grandfathers.

However, no significance was found to support previous

literature that female youth are closer to grandmothers.

Overall, adolescents reported feeling emotionally closer to

maternal grandparents. The favored grandparent was the

maternal grandmother.
Paternal grandfathers with a higher education level were
looked upon more favorably by the youth. Youth attitudes

toward maternal grandfathers were significantly less positive

when the grandfathers were described as often sick and

activity slowed by sickness or age.

When the youth responded favorably towards one

grandparent, the spouse of the grandparent was also given a

favorable response. The youth seemed to have a positive

overall attitude towards grandparents; however, when it comes

to being disciplined by their grandparents, most youth

expressed uncertainty to the question, "Should my grandparents

discipline me?"

The social science computer package (SPSS) was used to

analyze the data and reach the above mentioned conclusions.

(61 pages)
 CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

Research concerning attitudes of grandchildren toward

grandparents had focused primarily on preadolescent or young

adult grandchildren, and overall had shown these grandchildren

as having positive attitudes toward their grandparents .

However, the study of adolescents' attitudes toward

grandparents for high school age (13-18 years) grandchildren

had not been an area of focus (Baranowski, 1982).

Preadolescent grandchildren were shown to increase their

awareness of stereotypical signs of old age as they matured

(Kahana & Kahana, 1970). However, the subjects of the Kahana

and Kahana study were boys and girls ages four through twelve.

In Kennedy's (1990) study, he found that young adults (college

age students under 23 years of age) to have had, overall,

positive attitudes toward grandparents. Robertson (1976)

found that young adults (ages 18 to 26 years) felt

grandparents were not old-fashioned and felt them to be in

touch with the times.

The purpose of this research was to study the attitudes of

high school age adolescents toward their individual

grandparents. This included striving to see what attributes

(independent variables such as education, health, age, gender,

etc.) grandparents, grandchildren, and parents contributed

to the adolescent grandchild's appreciation of his or her

individual grandparent. High school age adolescent studies on

 2

attitudes toward the aged had occurred on several occasions

(Ivester & King, 1977; Peterson & Eden, 1977 ) but the study of

adoles c ent attitudes toward the aged was arguably different

than adolescents' attitudes toward their individual

grandparents .

There were many factors that researchers had examined:

health, education, gender, proximity , institutionalized versus

noninstitutionalized older people, media's perception of the

aged, parents as facilitators of the grandparent/child

relationship, and the reciprocal nature of the relationship.

However, a clear definition of the role of grandparent was not

readily apparent (Clavan, 1978; Sanders & Trygstad, 1989).

Perhaps information concerning what attributes affect

adolescent attitudes toward grandparents negatively or

positively would help educators, parents, and grandparents to

understand better the nature of the role of grandparent.

As has been cited by several researchers, the aged are

living longer and therefore they are grandparents a

significantly longer portion of their lives (Kennedy, 1990;

Barranti, 1985). Barranti (1985) said children today can

expect to spend nearly one half of their lives as

grandparents. According to Kennedy (1990), of the people over

65 years of age who have had children, 94% are grandparents.

Given the fact that nearly all people who marry will become a

grandparent at some point in their life, it s e emed imperative

that much research was needed to better understand the role of

 3

a grandparent.
 4

CHAPTER 2
REVIEW OF LITERATURE

Grandparent/Grandchild Demography

In 1900, the average life expectancy was 47 years . In

1989, wo men could expect to l i ve 79.2 years and men 72.7 years

(U.s. Bureau of the Census, 1990), an increase of more than

60% over an 80-year span. This increase, combined with a

decrease in fertility, has contributed to great changes in

population demographics concerning grandparents in the United

States (Barranti, 1985).

In an article by Diane Crispell ( 1993) , she cited the

Roper Organization report that 1 person age 30-44 in 10 was

a grandparent. In addition, 50% of those age 45-59 and 83 % of

those age 60 and older were grandparents. The average woman

would become a grandmother at the approximate age of 4 6.

Currently, about 30% of American adults have now achieved

grandparent status (Crispell, 1993). According to Hagestad

(1985), 77% of men and women 65 and older were grandparents

and 51% wer e great-grandparents. Barranti (1985) stated that

in the last 50 years, a 10-year-old's chances of having at

least two living grandparents had risen from 40% to 50%, and

having at least three grandparents that were alive had risen

from 10% to 38%. The population changes, along with other

factors including earlier marriages and closer spacing between

children, had led to some adults becoming grandparents at an

 5

earlier age. Today's children can expect to be a grandparent

nearly one half of their entire life (Barranti, 1985).
In a study by Brubaker (1990), it was stated that

grandparenthood began somewhere between the third and fifth

decade of life . As stated before, adults became grandparents

earlier in the life cycle and were living longer;

consequently, it was common to have three, four, and even five

generation families (Denham & Smith, 1989). Baranowski (1982)

said that life expectancy was longer; consequently, more

adolescents had grandparents.

Grandparenthood Roles Defined

What is the meaning of grandparenthood? Kivnick (1962)

developed a five factor model. Each factor represented one

characteristic of grandparenthood. First: Centrality: the

feeling grandparents had that grandparenting was central to
their lives and was necessary for their own identity and

personal meaning of life. Valued elder: a resource person to

grandchildren and someone that was highly regarded.

Immortality through clan: the feeling of immortality achieved

through descendants moving down through the family.

Reinvolvement with personal past: This involved reliving

moments of personal past and thinking about one's own

grandparents. 2oQil: A lenient or permissive attitude toward

grandchildren. Miller and Cavanaugh (1990) agreed with

Kivnick's observation that people perceive multiple meanings

 6

of the role of grandparents.

Neugarten and Weinstein (1964) had defined the role or

style of grandparenting using the following terminology: The

formal grandparents were those who maintained a constant

interest in the grandchild and provided treats and indulgences

and sometimes acted as babysitter. However, the formal

grandparent left parenting to the parents and avoided giving

advice on childrearing. Second is the fun-seeker grandparent.

This grandparent's emphasis was on mutual satisfaction rather

than indulgence or providing treats. The fun-seeker is more

a playmate who enjoyed the playful companionship of his or her

grandchild. Next is the surrogate parent. This grandparent,

usually a grandmother, took upon herself caretaking

responsibilities usually because the mother was working

outside the home. Another grandparenting role was the

reservoir of family wisdom. This service more often than not

was provided by a grandfather who provided training and was a

resource in learning special skills. And finally, the distant

~ grandparent. This grandparent emerged during special

holidays such as Christmas and birthdays. These grandparents

tended to leave all childrearing to parents.

In many families, grandparents represented stability and

continuity in family ritual and values. In addition, they

provided help to their adult children in times of crisis or

with day-to-day parental needs, and provided emotional support

during hardship, illness, and divorce. They had become known

 7

as the family watch dogs as they were generally concerned with

conti nuation of family rituals, family legacy, and mai ntenance

of fa mily patterns (Troll, 1983; Brubaker, 1990). Baranowski

(1982) and Barranti (198 5) supported Brubaker by suggesting

that grandparents provided continuity (historical awareness

reinforced by others) through discussion of history,

especially family history . This may be one of the most

important ways grandparents helped foster a grandchild's

identity. To suggest one definition of grandparent that would

sum up all relationships was not possible. Clavan (1978) said

that grandparental roles were not clearly defined and referred

to them as having a roleless role; consequently, they must

construct a role for themselves. More and more the aged

couple were engaged with their own concerns and activities and

the traditional grandpa/grandma role was less traditional and

more varied. In a study by Kennedy (1990), the stereotypical

grandparents sitting alone in their rocking chair did not seem

to be even close to the norm. According to Kennedy (1990),

grandparents were not isolated; the majority lived

geographically close to at least one grandchild.

The Changing Grandparent-Grandchild Relationship

The authoritarian grandparents with their sternness and

disciplinary nature seemed to be generally a thing of the

past. The new social contract between grandparents and

parents was that of a more permissive style of grandparenting.

 8

Crase and Hendrickson ( 1968) stated that maternal grandmothers

were more permissive and more child oriented than mothers .
Wi th gr andparents being less authoritative, more warm, and

less controlling, a closer relationship was the result

(Baranowski, 1982).
Cherlin and Furstenberg (1986) suggested that many

grandparents had developed an easygoing, lighthearted way of

interacting with their grandchildren. In a nationwide study,

grandparents reported engaging in a number of different

activities, which included joking or kidding around with child

(91%), giving child money (82%), watching T.V. with child

(79\), talking to child about their (grandparents) growing up

days (77\), giving child advice (68\), discussing child's

· problem (48\), going to church or synagogue with child (43\),

disciplining child (39\), taking a day trip together (38\),

teaching child skill or game (24\), and helping settle

disagreement between him or her and parent (14\) (Cherlin &

Furstenberg, 1986). With a less authoritative interaction

style, a closer relationship resulted. Wilcoxen ( 1987)

suggested this grandparent-grandchild relationship to be a

reciprocal process where both parties strived to satisfy each

other ' s needs.

The grandparent-grandchild relationship may be more

satisfactory to women than to men during the middle and later

years. Roberto and Stroes (1992) stated that past research on

grandparents suggested that satisfaction of the grandparenting

 9

role was associated with greater involvement with

grandchildren. Grandmothers seemed more satisfied with the

relationship with grandparenting than did grandfathers. This

may be related to the age of the grandchild (Kivnick, 1983),

or perhaps it could also be attributed to greater involvement

by the grandmother with grandchildren.

Another finding (Troll, 1983; Baranowski, 1982; Sanders

& Trygstad, 1989) showed that the relationship between

grandparent and grandchild was largely influenced by parents.

Baranowski suggested that parents act as a lineage bridge

either by encouraging or discouraging meaningful interactions

between their child and grandparent. In the Hodgson study

(1992) those students who had close relationships with

grandparents also reported their parents as having had close

relationships with their parents.

Other researchers have suggested that perhaps the parent-

grandparent relationship was more of a determinant to the

influence a grandparent had in the child's life than frequency

of contact. In the Cherlin and Furstenberg (1986) study the

following number of contacts was reported: Almost everyday

(12%), two or three times a week (11%), once a week (15%),

once or twice a month (20%), once every 2 or 3 months (13%),

and not at all (9%). In a study by Hodgson (1992), those men

and women who reported having very close or close

relationships with grandparents also reported more frequent

contact. However, closeness in relationship may have had no

 10

bearing on the influence a grandparent had on a grandchild.

Therefore, a clear correlation between number of contacts and

the influence a grandparent has on the child has not been

supported.

Along with parents being facilitators of the relationship

between the grandparent and child, it seemed that the earlier

a close relationship began, the more influence the grandparent

had as time goes on. In a study by Matthews and Sprey (1985),

grandchildren were found to develop close ties to particular

grandparents and not just grandparents in general. In this

study, it seemed evident that earlier close relationships with

a grandchild seemed unchanged through time. Matthews and

Sprey concluded by stating a need for research that focused on

grandparents' relationship with each set of grandchildren

rather than on the global significance and meaning of the

grandparent role .

Grandparents' Attitudes About Grandparent Role

Hagestad ( 1985) suggested that how grandparents feel about

grandchildren may have been related to cohort bridging (age at

onset of grandparenthood), length of grandparent's experience,

and intergenerational closeness.

Kivnick (1982) said grandparenthood could be filled with

happiness and fulfillment or could result in disillusionment

and disappointment if they were unrecognized. Often

grandparenthood provided middle-aged and older adults with

 11

meaningful roles that made them feel valued. Grandparents

could have a fresh start and relive life through their new

experience with a grandchild (Brubaker, 1990). Neugarten and

Weinstein (1964) suggested a biological renewal or that

through their grandchildren they felt young again. It also

provided another opportunity to succeed in a new emotional

role. In the Neugarten and Weinstein (1964) study, 41 out of

70 grandmothers and 43 out of 70 grandfathers felt comfortable

in their grandparenting role; however, discouragement came

when they were unrecognized or devalued. The aged have

reported regret in not being able to perform a grandparenting

role or hold the status of grandparent (Englund, 1983). It

seemed that the grandparents had a desire to perform the role

of grandparent, but there seemed to be too much ambiguity as

to their function and the level of interaction and the best

way of being helpful to the grandchild and family.

Grandparents often found themselves in a double bind as

they intervened in the lives of extended family members. In

a study by Thomas (1990), mothers who were married, separated,

or divorced were asked two questions. First, what is the best

thing about having grandparents, and second, what is the worst

thing about having grandparents. In answer to the first

question, divorced or separated mothers stated the help and

support received. Married mothers differed, answering family

heritage and life experience. Married, separated, or divorced

mothers agreed that the worst thing about having grandparents

 12
is interference in child raising and unsolicited advice. The

double bind came when grandparents tried to provide support to

their children's families without interfering.

Grandchildren's Attitudes Toward Grandparents

There seemed to be mixed feelings about attitude that

children exhibited toward their grandparents. Baranowski

(1982) said there was a new social contract between

grandparents and their adult children. This contract was that

neither would interfere in the lives of the other. This

suggested that when it came to the socialization of

grandchildren by grandparents, it was a hands-off policy.

Researchers, as mentioned, suggested that the grandchild-

grandparent relationship was influenced by the relationship

between the adult child and parent (Baranowski, 1982; Sanders

& Trygstad, 1989; Troll, 1983) .

In a study by Cameron (1972), young adults perceived

themselves as having had the most chances for fun, while the

aged had the least. Also, among high school and college

students, an attitude of tolerance rather than acceptance was

exhibited towards the aged. In the Kahana and Kahana (1970)

study, some interesting descriptions of older people were

given by 8- and 9-year-olds: "To be old means to sit around."

"Older people cannot see you." "Old people do not play with

you."

University students reported old age as a period

 13

characterized by economic insecurity, poor health, loneliness,

resistance to change, and failing physical and mental powers

(Tuckman & Lorge,1951). However, this attitude was not

evident in young adults who had great-grandparents. According

to Bekker and Taylor (1966), students perceived aging from a

particular reference point. They hypothesized that

undergraduate students with great-grandparents that were

living would perceive their grandparents as having fewer

stereotypical characteristics of old age than those students

who did not have living great-grandparents. This hypothesis

was supported by their research.

In a study by Robertson (1976) the majority of

adolescents had positive attitudes about spending time with
their grandparents. Young adult grandchildren were found to
think grandparents were not old-fashioned or out of touch and
felt they were an important source of influence on their
lives. Young adult children also felt definite

responsibilities to their grandparents, such as providing

emotional support and tangible help when needed. Adult

grandchildren did not expect a great deal from grandparents

other than some gift-giving and acting as bearers of family

history. They did not expect grandparents to be mediators

between themselves and parents, to be someone they turned to

for personal advice, to be one who aided them financially, or

to be someone who acted as a role model. They also did not

plan to imitate their grandparent's occupation. In

 14

Robertson's research, respondents gave a description of the

ideal grandparent as one who loved and enjoyed grandchildren,

visited with them, showed an interest in them, and generally

helped grandchildren when they had a problem.

Troll (1983) challenged the notion of alienation between

grandparent and child and suggested the grandparent role was

more important than originally thought. Konopka (1976), for

example, interviewed females age 12-18 and found comments

about grandparents continually coming forth. She concluded

that next to the parents, the member of the family most

confided in is a grandparent. Chapman and Neal (1990) found

that teenagers' attitudes toward the aged measured more

positively when the teenagers provided help to older people.

It was reported that the social distance between teenagers and

the aged decreased. Also; Ivester and King (1977) found that

contact with the aged is beneficial in reducing adolescents'

negative attitudes toward the aged.

Baranowski (1982) suggested that young children felt

closer to and had more positive attitudes toward grandparents

than adolescents. Perhaps the adolescent was in search for his

or her own identity and may have underestimated the influence

that grandparents had in his/her life (Baranowski, 1982). It

seemed confusing when reading the literature concerning the

attitudes of grandchildren towards their grandparents;

however, most researchers concluded by indicating that

grandparents were more important than data from questionnaires

 15
or interv iew data could demonstrate (Denham & Smith, 1989).
Research pointed out that the kind of grandparent
grandchildren would become was determined largely by the

perception they had of their own grandparents (Barranti,

1985) . Kivnik (1982) also suggested that the relationship

grandchildren had with grandparents had an impact on the kind

of relationship they would have with their own grandchildren.

Variables such as health, life satisfaction, age,

involvement in one's social network, and education level of

parent and grandparent helped to determine the meaning and

relationship to the grandchild/grandparent (Kivnik, 1982).

However, frequent contact, as one might see in a

grandchild/grandparent relationship, seemed to have a positive
effect on the attitudes of children and teens age 8-19 toward

the aged (Marcoen, 1978). Peterson and Eden (1977) stated

that exposure to noninstitutionalized older people had

resulted in more positive attitudes toward the aged while

exposure to institutionalized older people resulted in more

negative attitudes. However, the amount of contact was not

discussed. Formal education was one of the few variables that

were consistently positively correlated with positive

attitudes toward the aged. Children were exposed to the views

of their parents and generated opinions and values that

affected the way they related to others. Education had a

large role in exposing parents or future parents to new

information. Through the process of synthesizing new

 16
i nf o r ma tion, the c omple x it i es o f human nature were rev ealed
a nd perha p s wi th thi s a dd itiona l insight came more c ompassion
or empa thy f or di verse g roups i n general, not just the aged

(Peter s on & Eden, 19 77). Thus , educated parents perhaps

prov ided a more pos i tive v iew of the aged.

According to Peterson and Eden (1977), books were one

major s ource of education , and the literature for adoles c ents

seemed to propagate an uninteresting or boring view of the

lifesty le of the aged . Adolescent literature placed emphas i s

on stre ngth, beauty , and physical activity and overall seemed

to lea ve out the strengths that c ame through aging, suc h as

wisdom, insight, or patience. Peterson and Eden (1977)

suggested that in our schools and i n the media, the aged need
to be portrayed in a more exciting and less boring way.
Teachers, l ibrarians, and college professors need to be more

active in portraying the strong qualities of old age .

Unfortunately, little was being done through the media to

raise the attitude level of young people towards the aged.

Peterson and Karnes (1976) studied twentieth century

adolescent literature and summarized by saying: "In

literature, adolescents described the aged as being non-

essential to the real action that takes place around them.

Also, they were found to be only partial people. In short,

they were described as being there, but no one seemed to

notice" (page 227). Grandparents could become disenchanted

with g randparenting, especially when expected rewards to

 17

grandparents did not come (Neugarten & Weinstein, 1964) .

Researchers hav e stated that further work needs to be

done so that a clearer understanding of the nature or role of

the grandparent/grandchild relationship can be provided.

Denham and Smith (1989) suggested that the issue of

grandparents (as the historians, elders, and ones who have

time) should be explored in order to maximize the resources

available to the family.

The literature focused primarily on a global concept of

grandparent. In this study, it was the reseacher's intent to

look at individual grandparents through the eyes of their

adolescent grandchildren. The following questions, set up in

the null hypothesis format, would be the focus of this paper:

1. The age of adolescents had no effect on their

attitudes concerning their grandparents.

2. The gender of the adolescent had no effect on the

adolescent's attitudes toward his/her grandparents.

3. The level of education of parents had no effect on

children's attitudes toward their grandparents.

4. The level of education of grandparents had no effect

on grandchildren's attitudes toward their grandparents.

5. Proximity (distance in miles) had no effect on the

attitudes of grandchildren toward their grandparents.

6. The age of the grandparents and parents had no effect

on the adolescent's attitude toward their grandparents.

 18

7. Were adolescents emotionally closer to maternal or

paternal grandparents?

8. Marital status of grandparents andjor marital status

of parents had no effect on adolescents attitudes toward their

grandparents.

9. Divorce of adolescent's parents had no effect on

adolescent's attitudes toward their grandparents.

10. Health of grandparents had no effect on

adolescent's attitudes toward their grandparents.

These h ypothesis, some of which had been researched without

conclusive evidence, were examined in a hope of providing

helpful information concerning the attitudes of children from

the ages of 12 to 18. This research only surveyed youth; to

identify a specific definition concerning the role of

grandparents was not the purpose of this study. Perhaps the

information provided will help researchers understand the

expectations of grandchildren toward their grandparents.

 19
CHAPTER 3
METHODOLGY

Research Design

The questionnaire included 31 items developed by Robertson

(1976) and 4 items developed by Stogner (1993, see Appendix

A) . The Likert-type scale items had a range of 1 (strongly

agree) to 5 (strongly disagree). They were changed by the

investigator from Robertson's original scale to reflect

adolescents' attitudes toward each of their individual

grandparents. Two dimensions were revealed through the

results of a factor analysis of the Robertson study (1977),

and they were the grandparent role in normative terms, and the
personal meaning of grandparenthood. Both dimensions

contributed significantly to the adolescents' perception of

grandparents. Robertson considered her research to be

descriptive; therefore, no further analysis was performed.

Other items were included to obtain demographic information

about the adolescent, parent, and grandparent (see Appendix

A). The questionnaire was pretested on a sample of 20

students and changes were made, making the instructions on the

questionnaire easier to understand.

The questionnaire and answer sheet were given to each

student in a classroom setting. They were given 35 minutes to

answer questions and on an average took only 20 minutes. The

lower score reflected a more favorable attitude toward

 20

grandparents. A brief description of the task and the

following instructional information was given: "Students, I

appreciate your willingness to fill out the questionnaire on

your grandparents. It is critical to fill out the

questionnaire as accurately and honestly as you can. You'll

notice that the questionnaire is lengthy, but please remember

the importance of finishing the task. Your answers will not

be as helpful unless you complete the task." Written

instructions were also on the questionnaire itself (see

Appendix A) . The researcher was in the class the entire time

observing the students as they filled out the questionnaire.

The questionnaire was long (see Appendix A), but, it was

obvious that the students were diligent in the task of

answering the questions on the survey. There were 157

students participating, of which one questionnaire was not

used as the student simply rushed through the questionnaire,

and in the opinion of the researcher, did not make an honest
effort. This process of completing the questionnaire took 3

days. In the opinion of the researcher, there was little

testing contamination as the content was such that would draw

little excitement or controvery outside the test setting. The

questionnaire was given the last week of school, which means

all the special activities (sports, music, dance, etc.) were

finished, and therefore the sample did not have a built-in

bias, as almost all of the students were present.

 21
Sample

Subjects were adolescent females and males ranging in age

from 13-18 years. One hundred forty-eight subjects were

girls, and 108 were boys. The youth were all enrolled in a

seminary (religious class that meets daily during the school

week) sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day

Saints. The majority of the students enrolled in this

paticular high school in Utah participated in a seminary

class. However, the 256 students used in the survey

represented about 25% of the high school population.

Adolescents were living in small communities in northern Utah

and were of moderate socioeconomic status. The high school

enrolled nearly 1,200 students. The religious background of
subjects strongly emphasized the family unit and therefore

results of this study seemingly would be generalizable to a

sample in which the extended family was of similar value. The

sample method used was for convenience and also because of an

interest by the researcher in how this particular group of

adolescents would respond to questions concerning their

attitudes toward their grandparents. The data from the

questionnaire were analyzed using the SPSS computer program.

This program has been widely used in the social science field.
 22

CHAPTER 4

RESULTS

Demographic information about parents and grandparents was

obtained from the adolescent youth. Often times, the

demographic information such as age, proximity, and education

level for parents or grandparents was the student's best

guess.

The total number of respondents in the survey was 108

males and 148 females for a total of 256. They were all youth

who elected to take a released time religious class. The

average age of the adolescent group was 16.2 years, with the

youngest being 12 and the oldest 19. out of the 256 youth

surveyed, there were 16 youth age 1!, 68 youth age 15, 60

youth age ~' 63 youth age 12, and 46 youth age 18. There

were only three youth who listed their age as lZ, ld, and 1i,

respectively. The average proximity to grandparents' home was

24.5 miles. It was interesting to note that the majority of

youth lived close in miles to their grandparents with 66.2%

living between 1-30 miles from paternal grandparents and of

that percentage 49.3% lived between 1-10 miles away from

paternal grandparents. Maternal grandparents in this sample

lived a little further away with 50.6% living between 1-30

miles away from grandchildren and of those, 19.5% living

between 1-10 miles away.

The average age of parents was 41.85 for mothers and

 23
44.04 for fathers. The average age of paternal grandfathers
was 69.16 and paternal grandmothers was 68.19. The average

age for mat ernal grandfathers was 70.85 and maternal

grandmothers 70.02.
This group of youth came from intact families with 90.1%

living with their mother and father and 87.1% living with
parents who had never divorced or separated. In this sample,

82.7% of the grandmothers were still living and 64% of the

grandfathers were still living.

Health of grandparents was reported to be reasonably good,

with adolescents indicating 47.4% of paternal grandfathers,

57.3% of paternal grandmothers, 61.9% of maternal

grandfathers, and 56.2% of maternal grandmothers as physically

fit and very active for their age.

The maj ority of grandparents graduated from high school

but did not continue their formal education (57.6%). There

were 13 .6% of the grandfathers who received a 4-year college

degree or more, and 9.3% of the grandmothers received a 4-

year college degree or more.

When asked to respond to the statement, "Life would be

very lonely for me without my grandparents," youth strongly

agreed, as often for grandfathers (42.6%) as for grandmothers

(43.0%). However, for paternal grandmothers, the youth

strongly agreed 40.5% of the time, while the youth strongly

agreed to the same statement, "Life would be lonely for me

without my grandparent," 45% of the time for maternal

 24

grandmother. For maternal grandfathers the youth responded

strongly agree more often than paternal grandfathers, with

paternal grandfather at 39% compared to 46.3% for maternal

grandfather. In addition, these youth reported strongly agree

5. 7% more often in favor of maternal grandmother over any

other grandparent. In response to the following statement,

"My grandmother feels very close to me," grandchildren

reported 5% more often that their grandmothers had more time

to be involved in the youth's life than grandfathers.

It appeared that in the opinion of those youth who were

surveyed, that their grandparents, in general, were highly

religious. In response to the statement, "Religious beliefs

are very important to my grandparent," the youth responded as

strongly agree 75% of the time for grandfathers and 83.4% for

grandmothers.

In response to the statement, "If he/she feels it is

needed, my grandparent feels free to discipline me," the youth

reported uncertainty by responding agree/disagree more often

than the other options (strongly agree, agree, agree/disagree,

disagree, strongly disagree) for all grandparents.

There were 35 questions in the instrument. The researcher

chose 31 items developed by Robertson (1976) and 4 items

developed by Stogner (1993). Chosen from Robertson's 31 items

were 16 items that were, in the opinion of the researcher,

designed to measure the closeness of the relationship to

grandparents. These dependent variables, which became the

 25
attitude scale (see Appendix B), included both negative and
positi ve items. The scoring on the negative items was
reversed to allow for an accurate mean score. This attitude

scale was used to answer the following 10 questions, set up in

the null hypothesis format.

Research Questions

Question 1: Age of adolescent does not affect attitudes

toward grandparents.

Ado lescents in this study were organized into five age

groups: 1 12,13,and 14 year olds; 2 = 15 year olds; 3 = 16

year olds; 4 17 year olds; 5 = 18 and 19 year olds. By using

analysis of variance (ANOVA) there was statistical

significance found at the .05 probability level; therefore,

the null hypothesis was rejected (see Table 1). The younger

youth in group 1 had a mean attitude score that was more

favorable (lower) towards grandparents than the older groups

4 and 5.
 26

Table 1

Youths' Attitude Toward Maternal Grandmother by Variable Age

of Youth

Variables n Mean Attitude scores

12-14 15 43.7333

15 64 45.3057

16 49 43.1224

17 54 46.0370

18-19 39 46.2308

Note. ~ ratio = 2.4487

Significance was found at the .05 level.
A complete ANOVA table is shown in Appendix C.

Question 2: Gender of adolescents does not affect the

adolescents• attitudes toward their grandparent.

Male youth were significantly (. 05 level) closer to

grandfathers than were female youth to their grandfathers.

Therefore, the null hypothesis was rejected (see Tables 2,3).

 27

Table 2

Youths 1 Relationshi p to Paternal Grandfather by Gender of

Variables Male Female % Male % Female

Very Close 29 23 45 23

Close 15 30 23 31

Somewhat Close 16 35 25 36

Not Close 4 10 6 10

~ This scale was used to determine the relationship o f

the youth with each grandparent (see Appendix A, question 19).
Significance was found at the .05 level.

Table 3

Youths 1 Relationship to Maternal Grandfather by Gender of

Vari ables Male Female % Male % Female

Very Close 32 25 50 26

Close 19 31 30 31

Somewhat Close 8 29 13 30

Not Close 5 13 8 13

Note. This scale was used to determine the relationship of

the youth with each grandparent (see Appendix A, question 19).
Significance was found at the . 05 level.
 28

Quest i on 3: Level of education of parent does not hav e an

effec t o n adolescent att i tude toward grandparents .

By using analysis of v ariance (ANOVA) , no significance was

found; consequently , the null hypothesis could not be

rejected.

Quest ion 4: Level of education of grandparents does not

affect the adolescents' attitude toward grandparents.

Education of grandparents was separated into four groups:

1 never graduated high school; 2 = graduated high school; 3

some college or trade or technical school; 4 = 4-y ear

college degree or graduate degree. Adolescents whose maternal

grand f a t her graduated with a 4-year degree or better had a

mean score significantly (.05 level) more favorable (lower) on

the attitude scale than paternal grandfathers who completed

some college or completed trade or technical school.

Therefore, the null hypothesis was rejected (see Table 4). It

was interesting that the youth had a more positive attitude

toward paternal grandfathers who did not graduate from high

school and those who did graduate from high school than toward

those paternal grandparents who did not finish college or went

to trade or technical school. However, this was not found to

be s i gnificant .

The results also showed that when the paternal grandfather

had graduated from college with a 4-year degree or a graduate

degree, the paternal grandmother was given a more favorable

 29
score on the attitude scale by the youth (see Table 5). This

was found significant (.05 level) when comparing, again, a 4-

year college graduate or more to paternal grandfathers who did

not fin ish college or went to trade or technical school.

Therefore, the null hypothesis was rejected.

Table 4

Youths' Attitude Towards Paternal Grandfather by Variable

Education Level of Paternal Grandfather

Variables n Mean Attitude Score

Non High School Graduate 17 46.3529
High School Graduate 93 46.3625
Some College or Trade School 47 49.1190
4-Year College Degree or More 17 43.5882

Note. Low mean attitude score reflects favorable attitude

toward grandparent.
Significance was found at the .05 level.
A complete ANOVA table is shown in Appendix C.
 30
Table 5

Youths' Attitude Towards Paternal Grandparents by Variable

Education of Paternal Grandfather

Variables n Mean Attitude Score

Non High School Graduate 17 92.9375
High School Graduate 93 91.1014
Some College or Trade School 47 96.4722
4-Year College Degree or More 17 87.1765

Note. Low mean attitude score reflects favorable attitude

toward grandparent.
Significance was found at the .05 level.
4-year college degree or more was significant when compared to
some college or trade school.
High school graduate was significant when compared to some
college or trade school.
A complete ANOVA table is shown in Appendix c.

Question 5: Proximity does not have an effect on attitudes of

grandchildren toward their grandparents.

Proximity or distance from grandparent to grandchild was

organized into seven sections: 1 = less than a mile; 2 = 1-10

miles; 3 = 11-30 miles; 4 = 31-50 miles; 5 = 51-70 miles; 6 =

71=100 miles; 7 = over 100 miles. By using analysis of

variance (ANOVA), no significance was found at the .05 level;

therefore, the null hypothesis was not rejected.

 31
Question 6: Age of grandparents does not affect attitude of

adolescents toward their grandparents.

By using analysis of variance (ANOVA), no significance was

found; therefore, the null hypothesis could not be rejected.

Question 7: Adolescents are not emotionally closer to

maternal than to paternal grandparents.

Using a pair 1 test, significance was found for question

7 in favor of maternal grandparents; therefore, the null

hypothesis was rejected (see Table 6).

Table 6

Comparative Youth Attitude Towards Maternal and Paternal

Grandparents

Variables !l Mean Attitude Score

Paternal Grandparents 95 93.1145

Maternal Grandparents 95 90.4243

Note. Lower mean score reflects favorable attitudes towards

grandparents.
1 Value = 2.27
*p=.05.

Question 8: Marital status of grandparent or marital status

of parent does not affect adolescents• attitude toward

grandparent.

By using analysis of variance (ANOVA), no significance was

 32
found; therefore, the null hypothesis was not rejected .

Quest i on 9: Divorce does not have an effect on adolescent

attitudes toward grandparents.

Using a paired t test, no significance was found;

therefore, the null hypothesis could not be rejected . out of

the 2 56 youth surveyed, only 14 had parents that had

experienced divorce.

Question 10: The health of grandparents does not have an

effect on adolescents' attitudes toward grandparents.

Health was placed into four categories: 1 = physically fit

for age; 2 - occasionally sick, activity slowed because of age

or sickness; 3 = often sick and activity slowed by age or

sickness; 4 =bedridden, in a wheelchair or an institution for

the elderly.

Adolescents had a more negative attitude toward maternal

grandfathers when their health was described as often sick and

activity slowed by age or sickness. This was found to be

statistically significant at the .05 level and thus the null

hypothesis was rejected.

It should be noted that when the youths' attitude was

positive (lower score) toward their paternal grandfather, the

youths' attitude towards paternal grandmother was also

positive with a correlation coefficient of .8633. The same

 33
results were found for maternal grandparents with a
correlation coefficient of .8064 (see Table 7).

Table 7

Youths' Attitude Toward Maternal Grandfather by Variable

Health of Maternal Grandfather

Variables n Mean Attitude Score

Physically fit and active 95 45.1412

Occasionally sick/activity slowed 43 46.8525

Often sick/activity slowed 16 49.3333

Bedridden/wheelchair/institution 2 45.5313

Note. Lower mean score reflects favorable attitudes toward

grandparent.
For complete variable description, see Appendix A, question
15.
A complete ANOVA table is shown in Appendix C.
 34

CHAPTER 5
DISCUSSIONS AND CONCLUSIONS

The purpose of this research was to explore the

relationships and attitudes that adolescents age 12-19 have
toward their individual grandparents. The design of this
study was to look at questions regarding the effect of

variables (age, gender, proximity, education, marital status,

divorce, health, maternal vs. paternal) on the attitude scale
developed from Robertson's (1976) 31 questions. These

questions were changed from Robertson's original scale to

measure adolescents' attitudes toward their individual
grandparent, and not grandparents in general .
A Belgian study by Vanderstraeten in 1971 (cited in
Marcoen, 1978) suggested that younger adolescents age 13-15
seemed to be more critical of grandparents and emotionally
more distant than older adolescents (16-18 years). However,
in this study, adolescents age 12-16 scored more favorably
(lower) on the attitude scale towards maternal grandmother
than 17- to-19-year-olds (see Table 1). Perhaps this
difference between the VanderStraeten study and the present
study was more a reflection of the instrument used in

measurement than the actual attitude itself. In order to

compare two different groups or cultures, it was reasonable

that similar instruments to measure should be used.

Furthermore, two different cultures were compared and could

account for the differences as well.
 35

account for the differences as well.

Barranti (1985) found that young adult males had a more

intense bond with their paternal grandfather than with their

maternal grandfather. Furthermore, Barr anti 1 s research showed

that college age women had a stronger bond towards their

maternal grandmother than their grandfathers and paternal

grandmother. This research supported Barranti in that

statistical significance was found suggesting male

grandchildren had a closer relationship with their

grandfathers (see Table 1); however, greater significance was

found in favor of male youth being closer to their maternal

grandfather (see Table 2). No significance was found to

support previous studies suggesting the maternal grandmother

was the most favored of all grandparents. Contrary to

previous research, a strong case could be made for this sample

that male youth were significantly closer to grandfathers than

were female youth to their grandmothers. However, when youth

were asked to respond to the statement, "Life would be lonely

for me without my grandparent," they answered strongly agree

5. 7% more often for maternal grandmother than any other

grandparent. Maternal grandparents as a couple received

significantly (at the .025 level) better scores on the

attitude scale by their grandchildren, than did paternal

grandparents (see Table 5).

Education of paternal grandfather was a significant factor

in attitude of youth towards their paternal grandfather (see

 36

evident in this research that when the youths' attitude was

high for one grandparent, the attitude toward the spouse of

that grandparent was high as well (see Table 8).

Table 8

Correlation Coefficients Comparing Attitudes of Youth Towards

Grandparent and Spouse

Variables

ATTDD ATTDM ATTMD ATTMM

ATTDD .8633*

ATTDM .8633*

ATTMD .8064*

ATTMM .8064*

Note. Probability significant at *p<.Ol

ATTDD= Youths' attitude towards paternal grandfather
ATTDM= Youths' attitude towards paternal grandmother
ATTMD= Youths' attitude towards maternal grandfather
ATTMM= Youths' attitude towards maternal grandmother

If the paternal grandfather had a 4-year college degree or

higher, the attitude by the grandchild of his/her paternal

grandfather and grandmother was significantly better than for

grandparents who graduated from high school or who started but

did not complete college or those who completed trade or

technical school. Although mean scores on the attitude scale

were higher (negative attitude) for those who never graduated

from high school, it was not significantly higher. Those

 37

from high school, it was not significantly higher. Those

a d o les c ents h av ing paternal grandfathers who did not c omplete

c ollege or attended trade or tec hnical s c hool gave the highest

mean s c ore ( negative attitude) on the attitude scale than all

other levels of education, including lev el 1 (not graduating

from high school) .

This study provided evidence that formal education or a

college degree earned by grandparents, at least paternal

grandfathers , led to a more positive adolescent attitude

toward paternal grandparents (see Table 4) . However, other

variables or values that could be associated with increased

education, such as prestige, money, position , social skills,

comfort with oneself or self-confidence, were arguably the

rewar ds of education. All of these variables could lead to a

more positive attitude of adolescents toward their

grandparent. Furthermore, grandparents who had such values

may not have gotten them from formal education. Further work

is needed comparing these variables, along with education, to

determine how the education level of grandparents led to a

more positive attitude of adolescents toward their

grandparents.

Physical and mental illness has been shown to affect the

relationship between grandparent and grandchild (Kivnik, 1982;

Creasey & Koblewski, 1991). The present study found some

support to their findings. It was found that the attitude of

the y o uth toward maternal grandfather was significantly more

 38

being often sick and whose activity has been slowed because of

age or sickness (see Table 7).

As mentioned in the review of literature, Neugarten and

Weinstein ( 1964) provided a model depicting five types of

grandparenting styles . It would be interesting to see where

these youth would place their individual grandparents in

Neugarten and Weinstein's model. Since this question was not

asked, the researcher, based on the responses given about

grandparents by youth, concluded that the formal grandparent

seemed to fit the best. As mentioned in the results section,

youth seemed reluctant to agree that grandparents were free to

discipline them when they saw the need. The formal

grandparent, according to the model, left the parenting and

child rearing to the parents.

As a result of the analysis of data collected in the

investigation, the following conclusions have been drawn:

1. Younger adolescents age 12-14 had a significantly more

favorable attitude toward grandparents than older adolescents

ages 17-19.

2. Adolescent males reported having a closer relationship

to grandfathers than did female adolescents.

3. Overall, adolescents reported having a closer

relationship with maternal grandparents than with paternal

grandparents.

4 . Education of grandparents had a significant effect on

the adolescents' attitudes toward their grandparents.

 39

Particularly, the paternal grandfather's education level had

a significant effect on adolescents' attitudes toward paternal

grandparents. This effect was significant when comparing

paternal grandfathers with a 4-year college degree with

grandfathers who did not finish college or who went to trade

or technical school.

5 . Attitudes of youth towards their maternal grandfather

were significantly less favorable when the said grandfather

was described as being often sick and whose activity has been

slowed because of age or sickness.

6. It appeared that when youth responded favorably toward

one grandparent, the spouse was also given a favorable

response .

7 . In response to the question, "Life would be very lonely

for me without my grandparent," youth responded strongly agree

5. 7% more often for maternal grandmother than any other

grandparent. This would suggest that perhaps the maternal

grandmother was more often the favored grandparent. Also, the

youth felt their grandmothers have more time for them than do

grandfathers.

8. Youth in this sample seemed reluctant to agree that

grandparents were free to discipline them when they saw the

need.
 40

Limitations

The generalizability of the design was questionable

considering the sample was drawn from a small Mormon community

in northern Utah. However, it would be interesting to use

this design in comparing other groups such as inner city

populations, different denominations, nonreligious, or

different cultures.

It was also evident that it is necessary to control

extraneous variables. For example, education of paternal

grandfather was significantly related to better adolescent

attitude toward paternal grandparents. One may argue that
greater education led to a higher paying job, or more

respectability. The question could then be asked, was it

education or money that led to positive attitude?

A person may argue that the religious context in which the

questionnaire was given had contaminating effects. In other

words, perhaps students would answer more positively or more

appropriately because they were in a religious class. This is

something to consider for further research.

And finally, the sample size was 256, which dropped

considerably because questions were asked concerning

individual grandparents and in many cases, they had died.

Consequently, some of the questionnaires could not be used.

 41

Recommendations for Further Research

This study was exploratory by design, and by no means

exhaustive or conclusive. I hope that .others may find this

study helpful , particularly in the field of education, in

studying the relationship between education level of

grandparent and a more positive adolescent attitude towards

grandparents . There is a need to go from a general approach,

as was the case in this study, to a more specific approach

that would better control extraneous variables.

Further research needs to occur in the area of grandchild

attitudes toward individual grandparents, particularly using

high school age adolescents, as the literature is lacking in

this age group. Also, it would be interesting to study

grandparent/grandchild relationships in different countries.

Perhaps an international approach would help provide an

expanded pool of helpful information to family life educators.

Improved research designs to study adolescent attitudes

toward grandparents, involving such family issues as divorce,

single parent, remarriage, and death, are needed to help

educators, counselors, parents, and grandparents understand

more fully the ever-changing role of grandparents.

 42
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Barrant i, C.C . R. (198 5 ). The grandparent/gr andc hild

rel a tionship: Family resource in an era of voluntary bonds.
Fam i ly Relations , 2i , 34 3-352.

Bekker , L . D. , & Taylor, C. ( 1966). Attitudes toward the

aged i n a multigenerat i onal sample. Journal of Gerontology ,
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Brubaker , T . H. (1990) . Fam i lies in later life: A

burgeoning research area. Journal of Marriage and The
Family, 52, 959-981.

Cameron , P. (1972) . Stereotypes about generational fun and

happiness vs. self appraised fun and happiness .
Gerontologist, ~. 120-12 3.
Chapman , T.E . , & Neal, M.B. (1990) . The effects of
intergenerational experiences on adolescents and older
adults . The Gerontologist, 1Q(6), 825 - 832.

Cherlin, A.J., & Furstenburg, F . F . , Jr. (1986). The new

amer i can grandparent: A place in the family. alife apart.
New York: Basic Books.

Clavan, Sylvia (1978, Oct . ) The impact of social class and

social trends on the role of grandparent. The Family
Coordinator, pp. 351-357.

Crase, D.R., & Hendrickson, N. (1968). Maternal

grandmothers and mothers as perceived by pre-teen children .
Journal of Home Economics, J, 181-185.

Creasey, G.L., & Koblewski, P.J. (1991). Adolescent

grandchildren's relationships with maternal and paternal
grandmothers and grandfathers. Journal of Adolescence, 14,
373-387.

Crispell, D. (1993, Oct.) Grandparents galore. American

Demographics, p. 63.

Denham , C .W . , & Smith, C.W. (1989). Literature and

resource review essay. Family Relations, 38, 345-350.
 43
Englund, C.L. (1983). Parenting and parentage: Distinct
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Hagestad, G. O. (1985). Continuity and connectedness . In

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31-48). Beverly Hills: sage.

Hodgson, L.G. (1992). Adult grandchildren and their

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of Aging and Human Development, 2!(3), 209-225.

Ivester, C., & King, K. (1977). Attitudes of adolescents

towa rd the aged. The Gerontologist, 17, 85-89.

Kahana, Boaz, & Kahana, E. (1970). Grandparenthood from the

perspective of the developing grandchild. Developmental
Psychology, ~~ 98-105.

Kennedy, G. E. (1990). College student expectations of

grandparent and grandchild role behaviors. The
Gerontologist, JQ, 43-48.

Kivnick, H.Q . (1982). Grandparenthood: An overview of meaning

and mental health. The Gerontologist, 17, 59-66.

Kivnick, H.Q. (1983). Dimensions of grandparenthood meaning:

Deductive conceptualization and empirical derivation.
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Konopka, G. (1976). Young girls: A portrait of adolescence.

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grandparents. International Journal of Behavioral
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Matthews, S.H., & Sprey, J. (1985). Adolescent relationships

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Miller, s.s., & Cavanaugh, J.C. (1990). The meaning of

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~I 199-204.

Peterson, D.A., & Eden, D.Z. (1977). Teenagers and aging :

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Adolescent literature as an attitude source. Educational
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Peterson, D.A ., & Karnes, E.L. (1976). Older people

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 45

APPENDICES
 46

APPENDIX A. GRANDPARENT SURVEY

 47

GRANDPARENT SURVEY
Part A. Questions about you:
_ _ _Age Male
1. 2 0
- - -Female
3. What town or city do you live in?
4. How close do you live to your grandparents (approximate
distance in miles)? (Don't answer if not living.)
Father's side miles. Mother's side miles.
5. Are you living with your mother and father?
_ _ _ _ , if no, with whom do you live? ___________________

6. Do you have any step-grandparents? _ _ _yes no.

Part B. Questions about your parents. Don't answer if not

living.
7. What is the marital status of your parents?
_ _ _Married _ _ _Divorced _ _ _Remarried
_ _ _ Separated _ _ _Widowed Never married
8. What is the age of your parents?
_ _ _Mother Father
9 . What is the level of education of your parents? Mark with
letter A through ~ the level of education for each of your
parents .
Father Mother
a. never graduated from high school
b. high school graduate
 48

c. some college

d. trade or technical school

e . 4 year college degree

f. graduate degree

10. What is your father's occupation?

11. What is your mother's occupation?

Part c. Questions about your grandparents. (Please l eave

blank if not living . )

12. Please indicate with a check mark the grandparents that

are living: Father's side: Grandfather _ _ _Grandmother

Mother's side _ _ _Grandfather Grandmother

13. Approximate age of grandparents on your mother's s ide :

Grandfather Grandmother

14 . Approximate age of grandparents on your father's side:

Grandfather Grandmother.

15. Health of grandparents: Choose one of the following health

options for each of your grandparents:

a. This grandparent is physically fit and very active for

hisjher age.

b. Is occasionally sick and activity is slowed because of

age or sickness.

c. Is often sick and activity is slowed because of age or

sickness.

d. Is bedridden or in a wheelchair or an institution for

 49
the elderly.

Father's side: ____Grandfather Grandmother

Mother's side: ____Grandfather Grandmother

16. Education of grandparents: Mark with letter A through E

the le v el of education for each of your grandparents:

a.never graduated from high school

b. high school graduate

c. some college

d. trade or technical school

e. 4 year college degree

f. graduate degree
Father's father __________ Father's mother ________
Mother's father __________ Mother's mother ________

17. If your grandparents are divorced, indicate which side:

Father's side Mother's side

18. If a grandparent is remarried, indicate which grandparent:

Father's side: ___grandfather ___grandmother

Mother's side: ___grandfather ___grandmother

19. Using the scale below, how close is your relationship with

each of your grandparents?

Please rate on a scale from 1-4 (!=very

close,2=close,J=somewhat close,4=not close).

Father's side: grandfather ______ grandmother

Mother's side: _______ grandfather ______ grandmother

20. Please rate on a scale from 1-4 (same as above) how

 50

emotionally close each grandparent feels to you:

Father's side: ______grandfather ______grandmother
Mother's side: ______grandfather ______grandmother

Part D. For each statement please mark the scale based on how

much you agree or disagree with the statement. !=STRONGLY

AGREE 2=AGREE 3=AGREE AND DISAGREE 4=DISAGREE 5=STRONGLY

DISAGREE. Please mark your choice for each individual

grandparent. FF=YOUR FATHER S FATHER FM=YOUR FATHER 1 S MOTHER

1

MF=YOUR MOTHER'S FATHER MM=YOUR MOTHER'S MOTHER.

21. I am important to my grandparent because I provide him/her

with a way to see his/her blood line carried on.

____ FF FM MF MM
22. It is important for my grandparent that I "respect my

elders".
____ FF FM MF MM

23. My grandparent believes that love and companionship are

more important to a successful marriage than money.

_ _ FF FM _ _MF MM
24. Life would be very lonely for me without my grandparent.

FF FM MF MM

25. I feel my grandparents should do what is morally right to

set a good example for me.

FF FM MF MM
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l=S TRO NGLY AGREE, 2=AGREE, 3=AGREE AND

DISAGREE ,4=DISAGREE,5=STRONGLY DISAGREE
FF=FATHER'S FATHER, FM=FATHER'S MOTHER,
MF=MOTHER'S FATHER, MM=MOTHER'S MOTHER
26. My grandparent would like me to choose my own occupation

regardless of whether my parents agree or disagree with my

choice.
_ _ FF _ _ FM MF MM

27. My grandparent wants to give me whatever he/she can

without being worried about spoiling me.

FF FM MF MM
28. I am important to my grandparent because I make him/her
feel young again.

FF FM MF MM
29. My grandparent is important to me because I like being
with him/her.
FF _ _ FM MF MM

3 0. I feel that I bring a sense of satisfaction to my

grandparent.

FF _ _ FM MF MM
31. My grandparent encourages me to enjoy being young and to

worry about getting a job later.

FF FM MF MM
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l=STRONGLY AGREE, 2=AGREE, J=AGREE AND
DISAGREE,4=DISAGREE,5=STRONGLY DISAGREE
FF=FATHER'S FATHER, FM=FATHER'S MOTHER,
MF=MOTHER'S FATHER, MM~MOTHER'S MOTHER

32. What I do is important to my grandparent because it

affects my family's reputation.
FF FM MF MM

33. Watching me grow up seems to give my grandparent a sense

of satisfaction in how he/she raised my parent.
FF FM _ _MF _ _MM

34. The most important thing my grandparent expects from me is

respect.
_ _ FF FM MF MM
35. I feel very close to my grandparent.
FF FM MF MM
36. My grandparent feels very close to me.
FF FM MF MM
37. My grandparent has a life of his/her own and doesn't have
much time to be involved in my life.
FF FM MF MM
38. My grandparent expects me to give more consideration to
him/her than to my friends.
FF FM MF MM
 53
l=STRONGLY AGREE, 2=AGREE, 3=AGREE AND
DISAGREE,4=DISAGREE,5=STRONGLY DISAGREE

FF=FATHER'S FATHER, FM=FATHER'S MOTHER,

MF=MOTHER'S FATHER, MM=MOTHER'S MOTHER

39. Religious beliefs are very important to my grandparent.

_ _ FF FM MF MM

40. My grandparent does not care if I think of him/her more

as a friend than as an adult whom I respect.

FF FM MF MM

41. My grandparent considers family background an important

consideration in marriage.
FF FM MF MM
42. As my grandparent gets older, grandparenthood provides

him/her the most enjoyable way to occupy his/her time.

FF _ _ FM MF MM

43. It would have been an unhappy life for my grandparent if

he/she didn't have grandchildren.

FF
- -FM MF MM
44. It would be a very unhappy life for me if I didn't have my

grandparent.

- -FF --FM MF MM
45. Being a grandparent seems to make him/her feel old.

FF
- -FM - -MF MM
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l=STRONGLY AGREE, 2=AGREE, 3=AGREE AND
DISAGRE E,4=DISAGREE,5=STRONGLY DISAGREE
FF= FATHER'S FATHER , FM=FATHER'S MOTHER,
MF=MOTHER'S FATHER, MM=MOTHER'S MOTHER

46. When times are hard for my grandparent, his/her grand-

children give him/her something to think about.

FF FM MF MM

47. Grandparenthood doesn't seem to mean much to my

grandparent now.

FF _ _ FM MF MM

48. My grandparent doesn't mean much to me now--maybe later.

FF FM _ _ MF _ _MM

49. I'm so busy with my own interests, I don't have time to

become involved in my grandparent's life.

FF _ _ FM _ _MF _ _ MM

50. My grandparent is so busy with hisjher own interests, he/

she doesn't have time to become involved in my life.

_ _ FF FM _ _MF MM
51. If he/she feels it is needed, my grandparent feels free to

discipline me.

FF _ _ FM _ _MF _ _MM
 55

For eac h of the statements below please mark the scale based
on how much you agree or disagree with the statement .
!=STRONGLY AGREE 2=AGREE 3=AGREE AND DISAGREE 4=DISAGREE
5=STRONGLY DISAGREE

52 . The greatest happiness is found in a family where all

members work together as a group.

1 2 3 4 5

53. Going to visit a friend for Christmas is more enjoyable

than ha vi ng Christmas with one's family.
1 2 3 4 5

54. I c onsider family background an important consideration

in marriage.

1 2 3 4 5

55. Grandparents and grandchildren should treat each other

as equals .

1 2 3 4 5
 56

APPENDIX B. 16 ITEMS TAKEN FROM ROBERTSON'S

(1976) ATTITUDE TOWARD GRANDPARENT SURVEY

 57

1. Li fe would be very lonely for me without my grandparent.

2. I am important to my grandparent because I make himjher
feel you ng again.

3. My g randparent is i mportant to me because I l i ke being

wi th h im/ her .

4. I f eel that I br i ng a sense of satisfact i on to my

grandpar ent .

5. I fe el very close to my grandparent.

6. My grandparent feels very clo_se to me .

7. My grandparent has a life of his/her own and doesn't have

much time to be involved in my life.

8. As my grandparent gets older, grand parenthood provides

him/her the most enjoyable way to occupy his/her time.

9. It would have been an unhappy life for my grandparent i f

he/she d idn't have grandchildren .

10. It wo uld be a very unhappy life for me if I didn't have my

grandpar ent.

11. Be ing a grandparent seems to make him/her feel old .

12. Whe n times are hard for my grandparent, hisjher

grandchildren give him/her something to think about .

13. Grandparenthood doesn't seem to mean much to my

grandpa rent now .

14. My g randparent doesn't mean much to me now-- maybe later.

15 . I' m so busy with my own interests, I don't have time to

become i nvolved in my grandparents life .

 58

16. My g r a ndparent is so busy with hisjher own interest,

he/she do esn't have time to become involved in my life.

 59

APPENDIX C. LIST OF COMPLETE ANOVA TABLES

 60

Table 1
Youth Attitudes Towards Maternal Grandmother by Variable Age
of Youth

Source O.F. Mean Squares .r Ratio .r Probability

Between
Groups 4 79.8045 2.4487 .0473

Within
Groups 216 32.5905

Total 220

Table 4
Youth Attitudes Toward Paternal Grandfather by Variable
Education of Paternal Grandfather

Source D. F. Mean Squares .E Ratio .r Probability

Between
Groups 3 139.9825 3.6985 .0132

Within
Groups 152 37.8480

Total 155
 61

Table 5

Youths' Attitude Towards Paternal Grandparents by Variable

Education of Paternal Grandfather

source D.F. Mean Squares .E Ratio .E Probability

Between
Groups 3 392.6365 2.9035 .0372

Within
Groups 134 135.2289

Total 137

Table 7

Youths' Attitude Towards Maternal Grandfather by Variable

Health
of Maternal Grandfather

Source D.F. Mean Squares .E Ratio .E Probability

Between
Groups 3 93.0576 3.1647 .0263

Within
Groups 152 29.4048

Total 155